The Chronicle Keeper (Formally - Destiny)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | nolan

I let Aislin finish eating her breakfast. Even though we were on a time restraint, I knew the last couple of days had been extremely difficult to be able to finish a meal. I could see she was starving, even though she would never let on. So, I took the opportunity to go upstairs and take a shower. Grabbing my only other change of clothes, I climbed the staircase to the second floor. I understood the concept of the limited space of a tree house, but found the notion of only one bathroom to be an imposition, at least in my case.

I dropped my clothes next to Aislin's and I stepped over to the shower stall and turned it on. Before stepping in, though, I felt the temperature of the water. In no time, I was under the luxurious showerhead, envisioning myself taking a shower under a waterfall. The liquid just seemed to drape its water droplets all over my weak and sore muscles. I could feel my muscles strengthening and my stamina increasing dramatically each and every day.

Stepping out of the shower, I located some clean towels on the bottom shelf of the table beneath the window. I grabbed an extra one for Aislin and set it on the sink counter, closest to the shower. Moving over t the bed, I picked up the clean pair of clothes Lale had washed for me. I wish she had asked first. After finding out she had done that, I felt violated. And looking back on it now, I still did.

But I could not deny the fact that the feel and smell of freshly laundered clothing was a boost to my moral. Funny enough as it sounds, I felt like a new person. Feeling spontaneous, I walked over to the woven baskets, full of bathroom necessities and picked up some styling gel and spiked my hair. It had grown relatively fast and I was sure glad I had had a haircut before I had run into Aislin, the previous day, actually. But now it was time for a new one. I would've asked Aislin, but I had just finished styling my hair and didn't want to mess it up.

Jogging down the stairs, in a better mood than when I had found myself sleeping on the balcony, I headed out the front door to start prepping the horses. Today would be a new experience for both Lady and Belle and I wondered how they would take to being on a ferry. There was nothing I really could do to prepare them for what they were about to endure. But their flexibility and adaptability had already been proven through the strenuous journey we all had embarked on together. I would have never guessed we would have gotten this far. But then, at that time, I hadn't known Aislin's perseverance, determination, or stubbornness, for that matter.

As I neared the four-legged ladies, they both greeted me with warm, good morning knickers. They moved forward, sniffing my hands for treats and ruffling up my hair with their muzzles. Looking back over my shoulder, I scanned the open deck for any trace of Aislin, but found her nowhere in sight. She must have left to go take her shower, I thought, turning my attention back to Lady and Belle.

I double-checked their bridles, looking for any fraying or wear that may or would lead to it breaking. I would hate for anything to go wrong while traveling and not have a means to fix it. But I didn't find anything wrong with the bridles. As I patted the both the mare's necks and scratched behind their ears, I finally made it to the saddles. Just as with the bridles, I was thorough in my investigation. I did find some wear and tear on the stirrup leathers that would have had me concerned, but today I knew our travel would be short. I was hoping I would have the time to fix it on the ferry.

"Everything set to go?" I jumped a little at Aislin's comment.

"Ya. Lets head out. Do you want me to tie your satchel to the saddle?" I asked her.

"No, I can get it. Thanks, though." Aislin moved over, next to Belle, tying it behind the seat. "But you could help me mount up." Her tone was more of an afterthought as she glanced over her shoulder at me.

"Sure." I answered, stepping over to where Belle stood and cupped my hands so I could boost her up onto Belle's back. Placing her right foot into my hands, we both counted to three and then I lifted her up as she swung her left leg over the saddle, using her hands on the front of the saddle to balance herself. She landed lightly in the saddle and smiled down at me.